A Physics Project...ideas wanted.

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A Physics Project...ideas wanted.

We are about to start a competitive project in my physics class. Teams of 3 will build a device of some form to keep a number of eggs (at team disgression) safe after the device is thrown from the top of the football stadium. Most intact eggs, regardless of number used, wins. The device must freefall, and the grounds may not be altered in any way. Any ideas?

Wrap each egg as tightly and securely as possible and make sure the eggs don't touch. Pack them into a big metal bowl or something secure and stick that thing into a cylindrically shaped thing in a way that it will be able to slowly slide back and forth inside. Slide the bowl to the top of the cylinder then drop it the other side down so that when it hits the bowl will slide down the cylinder thus not absorbing the impact.

Twinkies! Believe it or not, they are an astounding medium for impact absortion. You should make your structure pyramid shaped, as so the base will land first.

the base should be lined with 2 layers of twinkies. They should be packed tight, but not too tight, you dont want to loose the absortion rate. The as many twinkies as eggs, you plan to drop, on the second layer should be turned upwise, as to expose the 2 cream holes. Clear out a LITTLE cream in one hole and nestle the egg firmly into the new formed cushion holder. The eggs should be kept evenly to make sure weight of entire structure is balanced.

A streaming tail (like on kites) might be added to the top point of the pyramid to facilitate correct free fall.

Originally posted by dbgt goten Twinkies! Believe it or not, they are an astounding medium for impact absortion. You should make your structure pyramid shaped, as so the base will land first.

the base should be lined with 2 layers of twinkies. They should be packed tight, but not too tight, you dont want to loose the absortion rate. The as many twinkies as eggs, you plan to drop, on the second layer should be turned upwise, as to expose the 2 cream holes. Clear out a LITTLE cream in one hole and nestle the egg firmly into the new formed cushion holder. The eggs should be kept evenly to make sure weight of entire structure is balanced.

A streaming tail (like on kites) might be added to the top point of the pyramid to facilitate correct free fall.

The general concensus is that the shotgun principal will apply as far as number of eggs go. Last year the average was 9 dozen eggs. My group is thinking about using a box of some form, filled with eggs and padding, suspended by bungee cords within a spherical outer shell. The shell will be padded (one idea involves a bunch of helium balloons used like airbags) and will then have a parachute attatched. The stadium is at least 100 ft. tall. we have until December 19 to put this together.

All materials are legal, so long as the device free falls and is not lowered be means of rope, etc.

We had to do a project where we built a rocket to launch an egg up and try and bring it down without breaking it. Some used parachutes and streamers, but because we were limited in the amount of material we could use we built a small rocket with a large nose cone. The rocket came down nose first and crushed the nose cone made out of foam. The egg survived though because the energy went into crushing and bending the nose cone and not cracking the egg. Also we padded the egg in bubble wrap. Maybe that will give you some ideas.

how about this, first of all parachutes, lots of them. This will cause air resistance,slowing the speed of decent. Second use helium balllons(hell with enogh you never have to even touch the ground). Third a impact zone as you said to letit crash with minimal damage. Fourth Use a spherical container to help spread the force of impact. Finally it would be expensive but if you could get some expanding foam(liike they use in car audio systems for sound deadening) pack your conanier with eggs then fill all availible space with that stuff.

Am I missing something here...Using a parachute would violate the rues, since that would not technically be free fall...
From two sources:

1 : the condition of unrestrained motion in a gravitational field; also : such motion
2 a : the part of a parachute jump before the parachute opens

1. The fall of a body within the atmosphere without a drag-producing device such as a parachute.

2.The ideal falling motion of a body that is subject only to the earth's gravitational field.

3. Rapid uncontrolled decline

Oh yeah, my idea is to copy a car's airbag and have a box with a large inflated cushion underneath...Then figure out a way so that air will leave the bag when too much force is exerted on it, that way it wont just bounce

Get a big fat cardboard box, fill it with foam and bubble wrap. Inside that goes a plastic bag filled with water and eggs (one egg per bag). The water will help slow the eggs movement down upon impact, and all the foam and plastic and bubble wrap will act as a cushon so the egg will never touch anything hard.